Carbon Cemetery Named to National Register of Historic Places

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Rawlins Field Office announces the listing of the Carbon Cemetery in the National Register of Historic Places.

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The Union Pacific Railroad established the Carbon Cemetery and the town of Carbon, a once successful coal mining town, in 1868, approximately ten miles southwest of Medicine Bow, Wyo. The cemetery sits on five acres of land, which today are administered by BLM and the Carbon Cemetery Association (CCA). The cemetery was primarily used and maintained until the 1940s.

There are 239 marked gravesites in Carbon Cemetery, 43 of which are workers killed in the Old Carbon coal mines. A stable boss searching for stray mules, who was attacked and killed by Native Americans, is considered Carbon Cemetery’s first burial in 1869. The cemetery boasts wood and stone monuments, as well as metal grillwork surrounding some of the burial sites.

The cemetery has been largely abandoned until the early 21st century when the Hanna Basin Historical Society and CCA launched an effort to protect and restore it. Today, the cemetery is cared for and maintained by CCA.

BLM Supervisory Archeologist Bonni Bruce says, “The site not only provides a look at the region’s importance in the history of coal mining, but the significance of Wyoming’s role in U.S. history as well.” For more information contact Bonni Bruce, 307-328-4287, or visit the Hanna Basin Museum online at http://www.hannabasinmuseum.com/index.html.

The National Register of Historic Places is the nation’s official list of historic properties worthy of preservation. Listing in the National Register provides recognition of the property’s historic significance, and listings are eligible for grants to perform preservation work.

The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM's mission is to manage and conserve the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations under our mandate of multiple-use and sustained yield. In Fiscal Year 2013, the BLM generated $4.7 billion in receipts from public lands.